


promise

by peachjuho



Category: SF9 (Band)
Genre: (?), Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst, Hopeful Ending, Identity Reveal, M/M, Near Death Experiences, Secret Identity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-17 03:13:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28593066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachjuho/pseuds/peachjuho
Summary: sometimes you need a near-death experience to figure out who the people closest to you really are.
Relationships: Kim Youngkyun | Hwiyoung/Yoo Taeyang
Comments: 5
Kudos: 20
Collections: SF9 Secret Santa Fic Exchange 2020





	promise

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pikasoos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pikasoos/gifts).



> hello jeni!! i was playing around with too many of the prompts and ended up with this fic that vaguely... very vaguely... hits the bookclub and superhero au... it is a little bit of a mess (apologies), i hope you enjoy your gift!
> 
> love, your secret santa!

The truth is this. It’s hard being a teenaged superhero. Okay, technically, Youngkyun’s not a  _ teenaged _ superhero anymore, considering he passed the teen years six months ago. But that’s like, only six months off! And he’s in university, and what are students if not slightly oversized (though overaged is more appropriate) teenagers?

That didn’t make sense at all.

Rewind.

The truth is this. It’s hard being a superhero. Managing double lives is hard work. Harder than trying to solve mathematical equations with all twenty-six letters of the alphabet involved.

He’d probably be able to manage if it was just one or the other. As a civilian, Youngkyun manages. Barely. Somehow he’s always a lecture behind even though he’s pretty sure he caught up on all of them this week, and there’s a never-ending list of practicals to submit. As a superhero… well, as they say, there’s no rest for the wicked, and by extension, there’s no rest for the forces of good and whatnot.

(Quite literally. Youngkyun’s not sure when he last had a good eight-hour sleep.)

It probably doesn’t help that he’s got a list of hobbies that take up the little free time he  _ does _ have. He goes to the movies with Chanhee every Monday night (only because of the student discounts), has art classes on Tuesday with Inseong, and Wednesday is for kick-boxing with Jaeyoon and Dawon.

Youngkyun’s favourite though, has got to be book club on Thursday.

Not because he actually likes reading, no. Well, he does, but, they're reading Twilight at the moment, so he doesn't really, but-

It’s because Yoo Taeyang is a  _ sight _ for sore eyes.

Half of his thoughts are full of the upperclassman. Considering his crush has lasted for the better part of three years now, it’s a little embarrassing, but he’s somehow content with just existing on the peripheral of Taeyang’s universe.

The other half, however…

  
  
  


“Could you stop for like, a moment?” Youngkyun asks, with his exasperation all too clear in his voice. Their team is gathered on the rooftop to assess today’s situation from a safe vantage point,

The Flame ( _ his worst nightmare, the usual cause of his headaches, living proof that the universe hates him, the reason why- _ ) smooths his hair back, swiping his lip and smirking. “Why? Are you falling for me?”

Youngkyun crosses his arms over his chest and bites back, “So funny, I'm Aro. I laughed. Ha ha ha. Just because you can control fire, doesn’t actually mean you’re hot."

"Aro…?" There's a strange look that crosses over the Flame's face. "Oh yeah? Well-”

The Flame is cut off by Grim, “You’re both literally children, I swear I forget I’m younger than both of you sometimes. How about we finish up here first so I can get out of here and you two can go back to your weird mating ritual?”

Youngkyun averts his eyes, pointedly refusing to acknowledge the Flame. “Let’s go.”

They don’t need any further words to communicate. Silently, they split up into three, Grim and the Flame honing in on both sides of the villain of the day while Hwiyoung holds back. He’s usually the last one to go in, their wild card, just in case things go south.

The villain seems pretty standard for people they’ve fought against before. His powers seem to be ice-based, so it should be quick work. Dark shadows weave in between orange flames and Youngkyun figures that his teammates won’t need Hwiyoung’s help today. Regardless, he jumps off the roof and heads towards them.

The first mistake - just a bad judgement.

But then the second mistake comes from the Flame, momentarily distracted. The villain swivels around to see what’s caught his teammate’s attention. With their eyes landing on Youngkyun, they smirk, palm facing Taeyang.

“I can tell you care for him… almost like you love him! It would be a shame if something happened to your precious teammate now, wouldn’t it?” They call tauntingly.

Youngkyun shakes his head, thinking _that’s not quite_ right _, but_ _no, no, no,_ and presses forward harder, stretching his hand out and wondering if he’ll make it in time.

But it’s the third mistake because they weren’t talking to Youngkyun, no.

The villain turns their focus and begins to channel a flurry of ice aimed towards Youngkyun. He’s not fast enough to dodge the oncoming shards of ice.

"No!"

There’s little he can do but brace himself.

“Hwiyoung!

"Hwiyoung...? Hwiyoung!

"Grim, Hwiyoung's not responding! Please, Hwi, you gotta hold on… Just a while more..."

  
  


When Youngkyun wakes up, he's only half-there and hears snatches of conversation.

"He… close... could've died…"

"... no, it's my… he awake?"

The voices are familiar, but who is he with? What does he look like right now?

He'd know if he could open his eyes and just  _ see _ , but the tiny cracks he can see through to the outside world only reveal that he's in a hospital.

His hands are heavy too, moving his fingers is a futile effort. Oh, there’s actually someone holding his hand.

"Hwi… ah, no? Youngkyun...?" The voice is soft, soothing. "It's Taeyang."

Somehow that gives him the strength to open his eyes.

What he sees only confuses him more. Maybe it’s his brain messing with him and mixing together the two people who occupy his brain the most. Maybe the face belonging to Yoo Taeyang is indeed, actually attached to the body wearing the costume of the Flame.

“Huh…?”

“I know, I’m sorry, we all promised not to disclose our secret identities…” Taeyang runs his fingers over Youngkyun’s knuckles.

“I still can’t believe my best friend is literally my partner! How could I not have realised?”

“Obviously because of something called superpowers and magic.”

Youngkyun finally focuses on the second presence behind the Fl- Taeyang?

The all-too-familiar face of Kang Chanhee is revealed to him, still in the middle of a rare impassioned speech he’s used to from Grim. “Of all the people in this city, what were the chances we all knew each other in our civilian lives?”

“Very high, I think,” Youngkyun manages to croak out. All attention is immediately drawn back to him.

There are a few exclamations of surprise, and the only question he really processes is, “How are you feeling?”

“Could be better.”

“The nurses asked us to tell them when you’re awake,” Chanhee straightens up, not-so-subtly eyeing Taeyang, “I’ll go.”

Silently, he leaves the room and Youngkyun focuses his gaze on Taeyang, who suddenly finds the hospital blankets incredibly fascinating.

Tentatively, Taeyang asks, “Do you remember what happened?”

Youngkyun closes his eyes. Images flash in front of him, and his head starts to hurt.

… Taeyang looking at him … 

_ … you love him! _ … 

… ice hurtling towards him …

“Kind of,” Youngkyun whispers. “What they said… you… love me? How?”

The door opens then, revealing Chanhee and the nurses. Taeyang squeezes Youngkyun’s hand.

Youngkyun doesn't let him let go just yet, looking keenly into his eyes. “Promise me we’ll talk about this?”

It's strange, how knowing who the Flame is behind the mask and a near-death experience can all of a sudden make the puzzle pieces fall into place, showing the picture and explaining so much _more_. It doesn't quite make everything okay just yet - trying to reconcile his adoration for Taeyang and his grudging respect for the Flame into one coherent perception in a few minutes just wouldn't _work_.

But Taeyang looks at him with such a warm look, and Youngkyun feels like there's no-one he could trust more in the world (except maybe for Chanhee).

"Of course, I promise."

**Author's Note:**

> edit (22/1) ; if you'd like to join a discord server for sf9 fanfic, dm me on twitter @peachjuho! the community is currently very small and has been the same for the last few months, we'd love see some new faces...!


End file.
